


Feels Like Camp

by rosesonraindrops



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Camp vibes, F/M, One Shot, Post-The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson), Pre-Heroes of Olympus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:35:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21788377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesonraindrops/pseuds/rosesonraindrops
Summary: One Shot where Percy is nervous about having to be responsible as a camp counselor, and him and Annabeth talk about it :)The most minor of Percabeth (because camp isn't just archery, c'mon guys)Takes place post-The Last Olympian but Pre-Heroes of Olympus which I KNOW is a tad canon noncompliant since they technically don't get together until the last day of the summer-ish, but what I wanted to write literally didn't make sense at any other time.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Kudos: 23





	Feels Like Camp

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I wrote this because I just really wanted to write something from a camp counselor's perspective (I'm a counselor)! It can be really scary being trusted with people's kids and trying to make sure they have fun, and I felt like that was something Percy would be nervous about. Also, I just really wanted to write something that captured my camp's energy because it reminds me of Half-Blood :)

Percy was eternally grateful for his summers at Camp Half-Blood. Sure, they were a little…chaotic (okay, wildly dangerous and often times perilous), but he wouldn't have it any other way. Besides the way camp felt was just…right. Especially with Annabeth.

His fifth summer at camp had been the first summer where he was really a counselor. Before, he helped out, had hung out with his friends, but this summer he had…responsibilities. Especially after the Battle of New York, people looked to him to watch over kids and be a responsible counselor figure for other demigods. There was only one problem: he had no idea what he was doing. Ever. 

He wasn't going to lie, it was weird. He had never been put in charge of watching chicken nuggets, much less human children. Sure, he had been on quests and fought hydras and (for the love of gods) the _Minotaur_ , but nothing compared to the jitters he got whenever a camper asked him for help.

"Percy, you're great with the campers. They all love you," Annabeth had said one night after a particularly successful game of Capture the Flag. They were sitting on the dock, talking and enjoying one of the few times they had where it was just them. Even though they were technically with each other all of the time, it was very rare for them to have time together alone. 

"I guess, but…they're so young, and- and small. I'm not a role model! Just today I almost got shot in the arm with an arrow because I had gotten distracted and walked downrange while some of the Apollo kids were at archery!"

Annabeth snorted, laughing at Percy. 

"That's not good!" Percy exclaimed, exasperated. 

Annabeth stopped laughing (barely), and laced her hand with Percy's. She gave it a squeeze, as if to say, _Calm down._ She rested her head on his shoulder, saying, "Look, I know you're scared of this. But you're more of a role model than you think. You just led an entire army, basically. You've already been helping out around camp, and sure, sometimes you do dumb things, but so does everyone."

Percy melted into Annabeth's warmth. She always seemed to know just what to say. He kissed her head, hoping he could show her how much she meant to her, how much her words always managed to have exactly the effect she intended.

"You're right. Thanks, Wise Girl...How did you manage all of this when you first started?" 

"I don't know really," she replied, "I sort of just learned as I went. At first, everything scared me. But then I had to do things like be there for my siblings when they were homesick, and then the next day when they felt better, suddenly I felt like I could do the whole counselor thing. I had been them; you've been in the same place as them, too. I also learned to find the humor in things. The Stolls performing 'I Will Survive' with choreography and special effects was funny for everyone. It was something we could bond over."

Percy chuckled. "I didn't know I needed that until I saw it. Did you see Chiron's face at the end?" 

"Yes!" Annabeth exclaimed. "He looked like he didn't know whether to be impressed or disappointed." 

"My guess is both."

"My point is, it isn't easy for anyone starting out. But you'll get better. And you're already great. I saw you talking to that Aphrodite camper who was frustrated she couldn't get that parry quite right." 

Percy had completely forgotten about that. She had been struggling the whole session, and she was just about to give up. He had coached her through it a little more, and before long she had gotten it. He was pretty sure he was as excited as she was when she parried one of her siblings better than he could have.

"She was so proud of herself," Percy said, smiling.

"And you were, too. You're already a great counselor. You just have to remember why we do this," Annabeth said, smiling. 

"For the kids," they said together. He wasn't sure who had started saying it, but it was something that all the Half-Blood counselors had started saying. Even Mr. D and Chiron had used it a couple of times.

"Thanks, Annabeth," Percy said. 

"Anytime, Seaweed Brain," she answered. She turned to look at him. Her face was washed in moonlight, and gods, Percy could swear that in that moment, with her soft smile and her messy curls, she was the most beautiful person in the world. 

"You look beautiful," he breathed. He heard Annabeth's breath catch, and he couldn't help but smile a little wider. 

"Thank you, Percy." 

"Annabeth?" 

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?"

She didn't respond; instead, she pressed her lips to his. They kissed, and suddenly, all of Percy's anxieties washed away, and all he could think about was Annabeth, and how she embodied all things that were good. She pulled away, and Percy's heart swelled. He kissed her again, deeper this time. 

"Annabeth, you are…amazing."

She smiled. 

"You're not so bad yourself," she said somewhat playfully. She leaned into him again, and he wrapped his arm around her.

Percy decided that this was what summers at camp were like. They were quiet and calm. They were loud and energetic, and everything in between. They were the feeling of wholeness he felt when he was with Annabeth, or when he was helping a camper. They were right. They were everything that was right in the world. They were... _camp._ And he wouldn't have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> I sincerely hope you enjoyed this! It was a quick write, not gonna lie, but it felt right when I finished it. I wanted to write something with camp energy for a while, but I couldn't quite get it into to words. Thanks for reading!


End file.
